I want to try out some not too expensive (please budget...) custom molded IEM for drums, I will consult my ear doctor as I have very sensitive ears, but I'd like a good recommendation.
Most important for me is a decent EQ and especially good isolation.
Adittionally... the end of the the IEM (let's explain this stupid easy) is quite pasted to the eardrum right?

I dont think it the tip of the IEM should be pasted to the ear-drum, though it does go further in than earplugs. An audiologist shoukd be able to explain.

In terms of which budget IEM to choose I wouldnt worry which one as most budget will be the similar in quality.

I am in the process of getting my second set of IEMs for drumming. I made a few mistakes with my first set. This is what I learnt from mu mistakes;

My advice;

1. The impression the audiologist makes is by far THE single most important thing about a custom IEM; if the impression is not perfect, the seal is not perfect, the EQ will be bad, the isolation will be bad and you will turn the volume up. Your ears WILL suffer. (this exact set of circumstances happened to me with my first set of IEMs, please dont learn the hard way ad I did!)

2. Talk with the company making the IEM and make sure they have a policy which allows you to send the IEMs back to get them re-modelled if the seal is not perfect. this should be free of charge within the forst month. This is in case the impressions are not perfect. Then, dont be afraid to contact the company if the seal is not perfect.

3. Make sure the audiologist has made impressions for IEMs before as they are not the same as making impressions for hearing aids.

I dont think it the tip of the IEM should be pasted to the ear-drum, though it does go further in than earplugs. An audiologist shoukd be able to explain.

In terms of which budget IEM to choose I wouldnt worry which one as most budget will be the similar in quality.

I am in the process of getting my second set of IEMs for drumming. I made a few mistakes with my first set. This is what I learnt from mu mistakes;

My advice;

1. The impression the audiologist makes is by far THE single most important thing about a custom IEM; if the impression is not perfect, the seal is not perfect, the EQ will be bad, the isolation will be bad and you will turn the volume up. Your ears WILL suffer. (this exact set of circumstances happened to me with my first set of IEMs, please dont learn the hard way ad I did!)

2. Talk with the company making the IEM and make sure they have a policy which allows you to send the IEMs back to get them re-modelled if the seal is not perfect. this should be free of charge within the forst month. This is in case the impressions are not perfect. Then, dont be afraid to contact the company if the seal is not perfect.

3. Make sure the audiologist has made impressions for IEMs before as they are not the same as making impressions for hearing aids.

good luck!

lets us know how get on.

Hi! This is super useful. Thank you! Do you know anything about eardrum fatigue with IEM without a filter for that? I have understood that many without such tech can fatigue them. It makes sense to a physics point... just wondering...

I have had custom "musicians" plugs made by Westone that the impressions were done at an Audiologist. They are serving me very well. Sweetwater is currently having a 20% off sale on Westone IEMs so I just sprung for a pair of the AC20's.

The isolation is dependent on the quality of the audiologist's mold. As stated above, find an audiologist who has experience making molds for musicians.

I went with DreamEarz out of Florida. Mitch provides excellent customer service and will punctually answer any questions you have. The fit of my IEMs is perfect. I have the triple driver DrumEarz model (DRM-3X), which are kind of bass-heavy and lacking in the highs. On a budget, I'd go with the single or dual drivers.

I looked at 64 Audio because of their apex technology, but just couldn't afford them in the model I liked. Still, I've heard great things about them.

Another option is adding the Rev33, which goes between your audio source and ears. Supposedly this device addresses the ear fatigue and clarity issue.

I wasn't aware of the apex technology so I can't really comment on it. It certainly makes sense from just reading their website though! And if you look at musicians custom earplugs, they use the same idea.

I know Devin Townsend swears by that Rev33 thing that Heartbeat linked to, and he uses IEMs live a lot and he also has a lot of prior hearing damage. I would look into that based on his endorsement.

I use 64audio ears (A4 and U4)... I play 3-4 hour gigs frequently and have never felt anything close to fatigue. The Apex modules are particularly nice because you can easily switch out the capsule for one with more/less isolation if want to change the ambient bleed.